HDFC Bank launches Navachar (Innovation) Pustika

HDFC Bank launched a manual of innovative teaching ideas called Navachar Pustika. Navachar Pustika (Innovations Handbook), is a compilation of innovative teaching ideas contributed by teachers themselves. These zero cost, high impact ideas are part of HDFC Bank’s ‘Teaching-the-Teacher’ (3T) programme under #Parivartan, the umbrella CSR of the Bank. The 3T programme is run in partnership with Sri Aurobindo Society.

Under 3T, more than 14 Lakh teachers across 18 states have been trained by inviting ideas from them and implementing the selected ideas in schools to improve the quality of education.

This programme has already benefitted more than 1.6 crore students across 6 Lakh Government schools.

The top 600 participating teachers were invited to a 3-day training workshop in New Delhi. An innovation manual for each of the 18 states was launched by Ms Ashima Bhat, Group Head – CSR, HDFC Bank and Mr Sambhrant Sharma, Executive Director, Sri Aurobindo Society.

Here are some examples of innovative teaching ideas by teachers:

A group of teachers have suggested moving away from traditional ‘Chalk and Talk’ technique of teaching to using Dramatization, Puppetry to arouse curiosity among students. This enables a better understanding of the topics instead of simply relying on rote.

Another innovative idea by the teachers is using Visual Learning as a means to teach students. So for students to learn the names of computer devices and keys on a keyboard, each part is drawn and coloured on a separate chart paper, with the name and use written on it.

To emphasize on the benefits of recycling plastic, teachers involve students and their parents to create designs such as pen stands, boxes to store stationery.

Snake and Ladders are used by teachers to teach languages. Each square has an alphabet to teach students the alphabet and make a word out of it. This helps make the classroom environment more fun and enables students to revise any topic or subject.

“Teachers are an important part of the Nation-building process for it is education that creates the most significant impact on the overall economic and social development of society. The Teaching-the-Teachers (3T) programme under Parivartan, we believe, makes education more contemporary and dynamic by involving teachers to think of innovative ways of imparting knowledge in classrooms. The Innovation Handbook thus becomes a reference manual for teachers across India to use ideas that involve zero cost but are high impact. This one-of-its-kind initiative is a part of the Bank’s sustained endeavour to be a catalyst for change or ‘Parivartan’ and create a positive impact in the lives of the local populace,” said Ms Ashima Bhat, Group Head – Corporate Social Responsibility, HDFC Bank.